Welcome back from Fall Break.
Today is one of the ways to break up a staff meeting. Any teacher who has been to a staff meeting understands. Unfortunately, they can’t be leveled like we are asked to do in our classrooms. The ideal would be three staff groups. Group one could be for years 1 to 5 in their career and address things as if they have never experienced them. Group 2 could be from year 6 to year 20. These people know everything and are willing to tell you. They will also be the ones that ask questions as a way to challenge the administrators. Group 3 would be years 21 to 30+. This group has seen everything at least twice and that experience should be honored. Facts, new ways, and support should be the focus.
All of that was an introduction to my version of how to break up a staff meeting. In about year six I unknowingly completely shattered the meeting. I had problems breathing since my teenage years because my nose was rearranged in sports. I had a doctor that recommended Sudafed as a way to clear up my sinuses. He recommended 3 to 4 doses a day to really clean me out. The problem was that he never gave a time frame so I kept taking it. Apparently, if enough of the medicine in Sudafed builds up it can have unintended consequences. During a staff meeting, I blacked out, had some kind of seizure, and was talking randomly. It wasn’t a full-blown seizure but bad enough for them to call paramedics. I don’t remember the ambulance ride or much of the emergency room but they kept a few hours for observation and sent me home. It was more traumatic for my wife who was in the same meeting. She may have some rebuttal to my take on things but it is as best as I can remember. The next year I had my septum corrected. It wasn’t just deviated but it was accordioned back into my head. I had a great doctor who fixed and I have been able to breathe ever since.
The most important piece of the story was that the principal and assistant principal came to the emergency room right away after the meeting and stayed with my wife and me. Sometimes as teachers we feel unappreciated and unvalued. I can tell you that I have never felt that way in APS and their response was living proof. Debbie and Jane always made me feel appreciated and valued. We did have a few rough spots over the years but it never felt as though I wasn’t valued. I thanked Debbie and Jane many times over the years but I wanted to say it one more time as I get ready to retire. Thank you to all of the Administrators I have had over the years. I have learned something from every one of them.